From the lab to public mind: Lay reactions to Synthetic Biology

Description

Based on data collected in a natural experiment in the ‘Communicating Synthetic Biology’ project (COSY), this contribution sets out to analyze laypeople’s reactions to synthetic biology. Eight scientists in the field of synthetic biology were asked to write press releases, which then were offered to journalists who wrote newspaper articles on the topic, which in turn were presented to everyday people in focus groups. As synthetic biology has received little public and media attention so far, it provides a unique opportunity to study public reactions towards an emerging technology. The results of the natural experiment are complemented with data from the latest Eurobarometer, a representative survey fielded in all European member states.

Period	26 Nov 2012
Event title	L'Oréal Scientific Workshop "Biological Engineering: State of the Art, Industrial Applications and Societal/Ethical Questions"
Event type	Other
Location	FranceShow on map